12:54 am - The Episode Post That Will CHANGE EVERYTHINGHey, Monday night gang! If you weren't here over the weekend, you missed my post about Hey Ocean!, a Canadian band you should totally check out. If you're into jazzy, funky indie pop. (Which...apparently I am?) I posted songs! Come on, they're airbefore's new favorite band. We're Facebook friends with them and everything.

Look, there's my name randomly mentioned on a big media website! Feel free to name a demon after me or something, Kripke.

But forget about Television Without Pity, it's time for your weekly dose of Television with Pity!

Dexter

OH MY GOD IT WAS COW'S BLOOD ALL ALONG THAT IS AWESOME I LOVE THIS SHOW.

I was gasping and OMGing for the next minute when Dexter realized that Miguel could have lied about the shirt. I loved the hilarious moment of "Did Miguel just lie? To me?" And then when Miguel repeated his speech to Dexter, I didn't understand the significance. I thought maybe he was just, like, craaaaazypants, and he thought everyone was wise and wanted to learn from them. But no, he is a LYING LIAR WHO LIES.

While the basic structure of this season seems to be very similar to that of season two (person gets close to Dexter, Dexter trusts person, person kills someone, Dexter kills person), it seems different to me. Miguel is a high-profile guy and won't be easy to take out. So it would be cool for the story to go in a different direction. I can't figure a way out of this story that doesn't involve Miguel dying, is the thing. I'm really afraid that Miguel's going to take Dexter down with him somehow, but...they have two more seasons! I mean, Lila was a nutball, so who would really believe her about Dexter, but Miguel is the damn ADA.

Deb's plan was great. Hee. I loved that Quinn was all, "We are NOT skinning him." I am still waiting for his character to pay off, though.

But Miguel, Miguel, Miguel. I feel totally vindicated for feeling icky and uncomfortable and kind of annoyed about him all this time. I wonder if he made up his sob stories about his dad. I don't even know what to think about him now. Last week, I described him as a serial killer waiting to happen, but with the revelation that he's been playing Dexter from practically the beginning, I get the feeling that, like, he got tired of waiting! Like it wasn't that Dexter happened to awaken something in him, but that he had been seeking an outlet all this time. He'd been looking for a Harry of his own. Except he doesn't give a shit about Dexter's code. He just wants his methods. I wonder how much influence Dexter had on his decision to kill, whether all those conversations and scenes we saw were just...fake, reciting lines Dexter wanted to hear. I hope it's a little mix of their relationship AND Miguel's inherent batshit that's turned him into this rogue serial killer. Man, did he know Dexter was the Bay Harbor Butcher when he first met him? What the hell is going on?

Entourage

Oh God, I am so glad they let us have a happy ending. I was afraid they were going to have Vince and E split up between seasons, like the end of season three when they fired Ari. But Vince! Totally lost his shit! That was so completely unexpected. Vince never does that! He's also cool and collected; it was kind of awesome to see him let go. And even when he was unloading on E, he wasn't, like, YELLING or angry or mean or anything, he was just...Vince. And he wasn't completely wrong, although he shouldn't really have been blaming E. But that was some great stuff there.

Scorsese's Gatsby! Vince as Nick Carraway! Aw. And Gus Van Sant! I love that Entourage can get these guys to be on their show. (And Gus Van Sant was hilarious. "Everyone saw Aquaman, and I see everything.")

Also, even though the Gatsby offer comes out of nowhere, it's a result of Smoke Jumpers, so that was sort of cool. I wonder how much longer they're going to keep going. Maybe they could give Vince an Oscar and go out at the top of his career.

I thought the pretty package was going to be Sloan.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles

So I saw T2 on Thursday with sainfoin_fields. It was fun to see it in a movie theatre with a bunch of fans who cheered and clapped at stuff. And there was, of course, the snark. My best-received joke was providing Sarah's response when John offered her some fries: "Your fries are DEAD! They're all DEAD!!"

But it was cool to watch the movie in the context of the show. For one, that plot point with Sarah about to sign away custody of John is a complete and utter retcon, right? I couldn't really make it fit with what we see in the movie. She is having a pretty crazy day, that day. And also, I was bitching about Skynet creating itself last week, but the temporal paradox is already in effect, since Miles Dyson is working with tech from the first Terminator. So the only reason that technology is developed is because it was developed and sent back in the first place. It's more subtle than what's going on in the show, however. And there's the scene where Silberman sees the T-1000 melt through the bars! Which made him a believer.

Also, Sarah Connor is pretty fucking badass. She gets the living shit kicked out of her the entire movie and still keeps ticking.

But! But! But! I have heard all this bitching about how Sarah's all WAH WAH DON'T KILL ANYONE on the show and how that's a pussy move because people die in battles and wars and whatnot...but THAT IS TOTALLY FROM THE MOVIE! IT IS PART OF HER CHARACTER! STOP COMPLAINING! SHE CAN NOT WANT TO KILL PEOPLE ALL SHE WANTS.

Anyway, it's a pretty awesome movie, is all I'm saying.

And this is a pretty awesome show! You guys! RILEY IS FROM THE FUTURE! JOSH FRIEDMAN LIED TO THE WORLD. This totally explains her bizarre and sudden interest in John, thank God. Oh! And this also totally explains her bizarre head-tilt reaction to Cameron when she first met her! She totally knew about her! Also also also HOW AWESOME IS IT THAT JESSE CAME BACK TO KILL CAMERON?! What the hell, right?

The three dots! Are a logo! And a symbol of paranoid obsession! Sarah totally whaled on that guy and it was awesome!

(CAMERON IN ELLISON'S LAWN CHECKING FOR CROMARTIE AHAHAHAHA.)

And then! And then! YOU GUYS. THERE ARE FEW THINGS I LIKE MORE THAN SCENES IN WHICH HUMANS TALK TO UNSEEN INTELLIGENT ENTITIES. EEEEEEEEEE I HEART JOHN HENRY.

DO I LIKE BABY SKYNET?

1111111111111111111

And then! And then! THEY GAVE JOHN HENRY A CROMARTIE-SHAPED BODY. I...I...I HOPE THIS DOESN'T MEAN WE DON'T GET ANY MORE PICTURE-TALKING SCENES BECAUSE SEE ABOVE. BUT STILL: AWESOME.

Oh, Chuck. So predictable, yet so adorable. I'm glad Jill wasn't eeeeeeevil, although she was...strangely conflicted and duplicitous. And pretty! There should be more making out. With me.

I'm glad that Chuck got to flash on something before Sarah and Casey told him. That was fun times. And then when he was all "Don't tell don't tell don't tell me." The auditory component of the Intersect is neat, but I guess we have to assume it's context-specific? I mean, would he have flashed if he'd heard someone talking about this crazy sandstorm in the desert? And if he had the name "Jill Roberts" in his Intersect, why hadn't he flashed on the name before? I guess it has to be context-specific in some way. Whatever, plot holes! You can get away with anything, Son of Alias.

Chuck using the Castle gadgetry was pretty awesome. And haaaaaaaa to Big Mike taking down Leader. That was great.

How I Met Your Mother

So much nudity for primetime! But it was a funny episode, and I loved picking up on the fact that it really did work 2 out of 3 times before Mitch pointed it out.

The goat!! We are totally getting it this season.

It was sad that the elevator lady turned out to be a horrible person. I hope my elevator crushes aren't terrible people.

Crisis on Infinite Heroes

Sylar hates Heroes! It's canon!

OH MY GOD MOHINDER HAS SERIOUSLY BEEN SLEEPING EVERY NIGHT IN HIS ASS COCOON???

Powerless heroes are the 'larious, you guys. I loved seeing everyone do their signature moves without any special effects. So amusing. Let's ignore the fact that it makes NO SENSE for the eclipse to have any effect on their powers. They're not from fucking Krypton. This is not the Day of Black Sun.

I have given up trying to understand Sylar's and Elle's characterizations, you guys. Are they good? Are they bad? Do they want to be good? Do they want to be bad? OR DO THEY JUST WANT TO MAKE OUT? I'll bet that was awkward since Kristen and Zach are such good buddies. Speaking of my good pal Kristen Bell, I just became aware of this Facebook group, which is apparently a counter-group. A counter-group! Come on, people, there are more things wrong with America than a mere Kristen Bell can personify.

(I became aware of the group because Diane Ruggiero joined it. Adorable!)

Anyway, Daphne is totally cute and has boobs. And braces, now! Oh man, they are totally going back to season one shit here! She couldn't walk, and she got to be a speedster! Awww. She's like Candace and Locke put together. Now all those ominous threats about sending her "back to where she came from" make sense. And where did she come from? The only place in Kansas: Lawrence, Kansas.

Home of...Sam's Comics. Sam's Comics?! SAM WINCHESTER OPENED A COMIC BOOK STORE YOU GUYS. And he hired Seth Green and Breckin Meyer!

Clairebear and Papa Bennet! Aw, father/daughter bonding. That was good stuff. And I love that Bennet is still tooooootally crazy and awesome. HE HAS A SNIPER RIFLE.

Comments:

Come on, they're [info]insanityjones's new favorite band.Oh, are they ever. Damn, I love them so much I can't even think of an appropriate display of hyperbole that would effectively communicate the degree of my love and adoration.

Chuck was super cute tonight. Though I kinda wanted to beat Chuck about the head and shoulders there at the end when I thought he was going to let Jill get away. But I should have known better! Our boy Chuck always does his best to uphold his geeky code of honor.

HIMYM was ok. Not great, not horrible. Nice and solid. A good mid season performance. I think my favorite bit had to be the naked man posing, with Barney's "Burt Reynolds" having the honor of being the only one to make me laugh out loud.

Dexter... man, what to say about it that you didn't? Oh! I felt so very bad for LaGuerta, man. That woman is having a rough couple of years in the whole "losing people she's cares about" department. My heart broke for her in that graveyard scene. Kudos to Lauren Velez for that. I also loved Deb saving Anton. I hope she gets to be happy with him for a minute or two.

Oh, are they ever. Damn, I love them so much I can't even think of an appropriate display of hyperbole that would effectively communicate the degree of my love and adoration.Aw!! That's so great. It's so cool that you love them so much. I feel like I have accomplished something of worth by introducing you to them.

I think my favorite bit had to be the naked man posing, with Barney's "Burt Reynolds" having the honor of being the only one to make me laugh out loud.I enjoyed "The Heisman Trophy."

I also loved Deb saving Anton. I hope she gets to be happy with him for a minute or two. Me too.

I loved the scene of Ellison talking to Baby Skynet. While more Garret Dillahunt = awesomesauce, I'm gonna miss his little "I don't know what the hell you are about" sign.

I've stopped watching Heroes after the season premiere (and have not regretted it AT ALL since), but... there is a specific facegroup for people against Kristen Bell??! What is WRONG with people? Oh, wait. This is fandom we're talking about. Colour me unsurprised.

While more Garret Dillahunt = awesomesauce, I'm gonna miss his little "I don't know what the hell you are about" sign. Me too. I'm looking forward to seeing him play John Henry, though. HOW ARE YOU TODAY?

If you weren't here over the weekend, you missed my post about Hey Ocean!,

I finally listened to them yesterday (there was a whole iPod issue that caused musical distress). I like them! I think my favorite song is "A Song About California." Also "The Beat Boxer Who Broke My Heart" and "Eskimo Kisses."

Wait, what? The eclipse is still happening? I thought it was over and they don't have powers and that's why Papa Petrelli wants Mohinder to get them back? Also, it was silly of me but I kept hoping that one of the two groups of heroes (manufactured vs natural) would still retain their powers so that the whole eclipse thing might actually make sense. Alas.

Mostly I've just given up thinking about anything on this show. I'm not sure how long I'll stick around now that I can't really put any thought into the show but, for now, I still enjoy it on a superficial level.

I'll bet that was awkward since Kristen and Zach are such good buddies.

I was thinking the same thing! I know others see chemistry there but I was all, "Uhhh, those two like hang out and play games together... this is making me uncomfortable." Oh, reality, how you interfere with my entertainment.

Also. I'm totally confused about their good/bad/whatever thing. I feel like there were scenes deleted from their overall storyline or something. I mean, I'm sure there werern't, but I really don't understand what's going on there. It's like the writers played with making Sylar good and then realized he was way better evil so they completely dropped the whole thing. What now? I'd have liked the whole thing a little better if they were both conflicted about their assignment to get Claire. Instead I thought Elle was going to protect Claire... only she was going to make sure Sylar was evil?

OK, see, that's what I get for trying to *think* during this show.

I loved Chuck. I think last week's episode was my favorite of the three but I still enjoyed the conclusion. My only complaint was the lack of Casey at Thanksgiving dinner.

Wait, what? The eclipse is still happening?It's totally still happening. They kept showing it. It'll probably end just in time for Sylar not to get killed by the bullet heading his way. Or the bullet will hit Elle instead and then I will hit the writers because Sylar will be all NOOOOOO I WILL AVENGE YOU and be evil again.

"Uhhh, those two like hang out and play games together... this is making me uncomfortable."I know! Ew.

It's like the writers played with making Sylar good and then realized he was way better evil so they completely dropped the whole thing. Right?

Instead I thought Elle was going to protect Claire... only she was going to make sure Sylar was evil?Or something? I thought they had the big electro-pow-wow and were going to be redeemed and forgiven and good.

My only complaint was the lack of Casey at Thanksgiving dinner.UNLEASH THE CASEY.

Quoth my friend who works on the show: "what, and lose that guy? he's money."

The cow's blood on the shirt was geeeeeenius.Right?? I love it. All this time. Totally flips things on its head without being an asspull. I was just thinking about the way this show plays with your expectations during the episode, thinking that maybe Prado hadn't killed Ellen like everyone thought because this show would do that, distract you with the right hand while the left hand is having an affair with Ellen and the foot is doing something completely unexpected. So I love that they set up a scene that does not ring false or misleading in retrospect at all: there was no reason, at the time, given Miguel's apparent sincerity, to question whether or not Miguel had given him a shirt with Freebo's blood on it. Dexter didn't question it, and neither did we. I don't feel cheated or tricked, is the thing. That's good writing.

TSCC:Also also also HOW AWESOME IS IT THAT JESSE CAME BACK TO KILL CAMERON?! What the hell, right? I feel like they have made her grey enough that she could easily be back here to kill John; if she was really out for Cameron & knows Derek's hate of machines she should have talked to Derek before this. They've definitely suggested she could be playing Derek (though she could not be, how BSG); the scene with Riley had ominous overtones for John not Cameron. Awesome. (Also, if she is playing Derek then the bit about the torture by Toby last week could be false, even if Toby 'confirmed' it.)

I love that they're almost suggesting that Catherine wants John Henry to be a complete, as if she'd like him to learn ethics. If John Henry learns ethics will Skynet still start the war? I feel the show is definitely taking characters who were black/white and blurring them. Awesome!

I feel like they have made her grey enough that she could easily be back here to kill John; if she was really out for Cameron & knows Derek's hate of machines she should have talked to Derek before this. The surveillance of Derek and John definitely speaks to this theory, I agree. Many people have pointed out that she's had more than enough time to take out Cameron (and you bring up a good point that Derek would have been very easy to recruit for that mission), and it's not ridiculously impossible to take out a Terminator; our heroes have done it a couple times already.

I love that they're almost suggesting that Catherine wants John Henry to be a complete, as if she'd like him to learn ethics.I think this threw me for a loop, really, because all this time, it's seemed like Catherine was, you know, eeeeeevil. But if she were trying to create the Skynet we know from the future, she wouldn't want to teach it the damn Ten Commandments! Unless, I don't know, she put in a backdoor command to BREAK THEM ALL THE TIME AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE or something.

If John Henry learns ethics will Skynet still start the war?This has apparently been a theory thrown about in fandom for a while, apparently. That Catherine's endgame is not to create Skynet so that it can enslave humanity but to ensure that the Skynet that is created can co-exist with humanity. Because the A.I. is going to be created; there appears to be no stopping it. But Judgment Day happens because when Skynet becomes self-aware it's AFRAID of humans and tries to protect itself by killing them. What if, like you say, John Henry has ethics? What if Skynet has a better understanding of the world? Then there will be no war.

Elle and Sylar... I don't understand the characterization, and I won't respond to it. Since Kristen Bell is still listed as guest star, I'm just assuming she's going to die soon. Or is she Sylar's future baby mama? Hmm. Maybe she'll end up in a coma so they don't have to keep paying Kristen Bell.... AND THEN HAVE A COMA BABY. I hear coma babies are more common than you'd think.

Anyway, Daphne is totally cute and has boobs.Are they... new? I did like the reveal that without her powers, she's disabled. Yay, interesting character reveal that's not just shoehorned in for plot reasons!

Is Claire a hemophiliac without her power? At the end it looked like she'd kept bleeding despite Bennet's bandages.

(Man, I really need to get caught up on all those other shows... Can't read your comments yet!)

AND THEN HAVE A COMA BABY. I hear coma babies are more common than you'd think.LOOK, LADY. I WAS DRINKING WATER WHEN I READ THAT.

Are they... new?No, but I was noticing a lot of boobs last night. Everyone was wearing tight shirts.

I did like the reveal that without her powers, she's disabled. Yay, interesting character reveal that's not just shoehorned in for plot reasons!Yay!

Is Claire a hemophiliac without her power? At the end it looked like she'd kept bleeding despite Bennet's bandages. I guess it was a really bad gunshot wound? And the bullet hit her...kidney? The one she keeps in her shoulder, you know.

(Man, I really need to get caught up on all those other shows... Can't read your comments yet!)Get caught up and then come back!

I was just kind of vaguely surfing around for people's opinions on last night's Heroes. Not exactly sure how I ended up here but since you're also a VM fan I thought this might be the appropriate place to see if anyone else was kind of hoping that Joss Whedon was going to be behind the car rental counter. Great commentary on all of the shows here. It's OK to ignore my random tangents.

I've been thinking about Miguel and how much of his backstory is BS and how much is real. I tend to think the sad, "See? This is why I am the way I am", parts are not true. But the part about pushing someone down the stairs and liking it? Is true. Miguel strikes me as the kind of psycho that's born that way and not made, like Dexter was made out of that 1 traumatic event. I'm thinking Miguel's probably never had a problem ordering other people to take out an enemy for him, but Dex helped him realize and embrace his like for "getting his hands dirty". That's my current theory. Mmhmm.